Magic Encyclopedia: Illusions
Game Review

Magic academy star student Catherine is hard at work in the academy's library when suddenly everything around her transforms into something completely different. A door turns into a drape, stairs disappear and arcane writings turn into children's drawings. Catherine manages to magically contact her masters, only to find that someone has stolen the Book of Illusions from the academy and has used it to trap all the mages in an illusion. Fortunately, Catherine was at the library when the illusionist struck, and is able to use the scrolls in the library to escape. It is now up to her to defeat the illusionist and free the other mages.

Magic Encyclopedia: Illusions starts with Catherine trying to find her way out of the library. She is not all on her own though, as her masters are able to provide her with hints via her magic crystal ball. She has to find ways to dispel the illusions preventing her escape. And once she's free, she has to go in search of the illusionist in an adventure that will take her around the world to exotic places such as China and even an undersea kingdom!

The gameplay in Magic Encyclopedia: Illusions is very much a fragmented object game style. Instead of searching for totally random objects like a spider and an umbrella, you are tasked to find different parts of items that can be used to break illusions or help you on the quest against the illusionist. For example, find all 8 parts of a levitation scroll and you can then use it to interact with a previously out-of-reach item.

However, what makes this game unique is how it handles the concept of illusions. When you first encounter a scene, what you see is usually an illusion, with people and items appearing to be something else entirely. For example, that palace guard standing inconspicuously by the door might actually be a demon waiting for you to gamble with it. And in terms of solving the puzzles, certain items can only be interacted with or obtained while you are viewing the illusion "phase" of a scene, while others require you to have dispelled the illusions before you can interact with them. You will also have to switch back and forth between the phases to solve all the puzzles.

Dispelling the illusions might involve magically transforming day to night, or using potions, or even magical glasses. Some of these items might dispel the illusion for the entire scene, while others might only reveal the truth around certain areas that you select. And some others will only dispel the illusions for a short time, requiring you to act fast! This concept adds a new level of difficulty to the game, and might take a while to get used to. Some of the particle effects such as distortions surrounding the "dispelled" areas might create a bit of confusion as well.

The game is also more challenging than other hidden object games. There's a lot of deduction and reasoning required in order to solve some of the puzzles and to find out what is the correct next step. Do not worry that it may be too difficult for you though. The "hint" and "skip" buttons recharge quite quickly. There are plenty of mini-puzzles in the game too, again mostly of the logic variety. They are also magic-themed, with examples including a potion-mixing puzzle and a magic word puzzle.

The artwork in the game is gorgeous, as is expected of a Magic Encyclopedia sequel. The art is vibrant and crisp, and beautifully illustrates the magical scenes and locations that you visit, from the mystical Atlantis to the Forbidden Palace of China. The music is quite uplifting and entertaining as well, with hints of the various cultures that you visit. The soundtrack might not be arranged perfectly though... you can sometimes hear Chinese music when you are in Egypt.

Overall, Magic Encyclopedia: Illusions is a great adventure puzzle game with a higher than average difficulty level. The unique method of showing and dispelling illusions makes it stand out from other hidden object games. If you haven't visited the world of Magic Encyclopedia yet, you owe it to yourself to try this installment out and see just what you've been missing!

Related PC Games at Big Fish Games:

Magic Encyclopedia: Illusions

Princess Isabella: A Witch's Curse

The Tarot's Misfortune

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